Refrigerator

ABSTRACT

Proposed is a refrigerator including a cabinet having a freezing compartment above a partition wall and a refrigerating compartment therebelow, an evaporator positioned behind the freezing compartment and generating cool air, a freezing-compartment grill assembly positioned in front of the evaporator inside the freezing compartment, a blowing fan for blowing the cool air being mounted in the freezing-compartment grill assembly, and a refrigerating-compartment grill assembly positioned behind the refrigerating compartment, wherein a refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path guiding discharging of the cool air supplied from the freezing-compartment grill assembly into the refrigerating compartment, and a refrigerating-compartment retrieval flow path guiding flowing of the cool air retrieved from the refrigerating compartment into the freezing compartment are formed together in the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No.10-2021-0002287, filed on Jan. 8, 2021, the entire contents of which isincorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator including a grillassembly in which a discharge flow path and an absorption flow path forsupplying and retrieving cool air into a storage compartment areprovided together.

Description of the Related Art

Usually, refrigerators are a household appliance that is configured tostore various foodstuffs and drinks for a long period of time using coolair that is generated by circulating refrigerant with a freezing cycle.

Refrigerators are categorized into top freezer type refrigerators inwhich a freezing compartment is arranged over a refrigeratingcompartment, bottom freezer type refrigerators in which the freezingcompartment is arranged under the refrigerating compartment, andside-by-side type refrigerators in which the refrigerating compartmentand the freezing compartment are arranged side by side in theleftward-rightward direction.

In the top freezer type refrigerators, an evaporator is positioned in arear side space inside the freezing compartment, and afreezing-compartment grill assembly in which a blowing fan for supplyingand circulating cool air toward the freezing compartment is mounted ispositioned in front of the evaporator.

In addition, in the top freezer type refrigerators, arefrigerating-compartment grill assembly is positioned in a rear sidespace inside the refrigerating compartment.

One portion of the cool air, supplied by the freezing-compartment grillassembly, is supplied to the refrigerating-compartment grill assemblythrough a connection flow path. The cool air supplied through theconnection flow path is supplied into the refrigerating compartment.

The top freezer type refrigerators are as disclosed in Korean Patent No.10-0160419 and Korean Patent Application Publication Nos.10-1999-0060433, 10-2016-0100548, and 10-2017-0006995.

The above-described top freezer type refrigerators in the related artare configured in such a manner that a retrieval flow path is formed ina partition wall by which division into the freezing compartment and therefrigerating compartment is realized and that the cool air circulatingthrough the inside of the refrigerating compartment is retrieved intothe evaporator behind the freezing compartment.

Accordingly, in the top freezer type refrigerators in the related art,the cool air discharged from an upper portion of therefrigerating-compartment grill assembly is discharged directly to theretrieval flow path without being sufficiently supplied all the way upto the front side of the refrigerating compartment that has the sameheight as the upper portion. Due to this phenomenon, the efficiency ofrefrigerating is decreased.

Particularly, the above-described retrieval flow path makes it verydifficult to form another flow path in the partition wall. For thisreason, various design changes do not have been made using the partitionwall. That is, selection of the retrieval flow path is limited whenforming a new flow path in the partition wall.

In addition, the partition wall needs to provide sufficient thermalinsulation in order to maintain predetermined temperatures inside thefreezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment. However, theinsulation performance of the partition is decreased due to theabove-described retrieval flow path.

The foregoing is intended merely to aid in the understanding of thebackground of the present disclosure, and is not intended to mean thatthe present disclosure falls within the purview of the related art thatis already known to those skilled in the art.

DOCUMENT OF RELATED ART

-   (Patent Document 1) Korean Patent No. 10-0160419-   (Patent Document 2) Korean Patent Application Publication No.    10-1999-0060433-   (Patent Document 3) Korean Patent Application Publication No.    10-2016-0100548-   (Patent Document 4) Korean Patent Application Publication No.    10-2017-0006995

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the present disclosure is to provide a refrigeratorincluding a refrigerating-compartment grill assembly in which arefrigerating-compartment discharge flow path for supplying cool air toa refrigerating compartment and a freezing-compartment retrieval flowpath for retrieving the cool air circulating through a freezingcompartment are provided together.

Another objective of the present disclosure is to provide a refrigeratorincluding a new type of refrigerating-compartment grill assembly capableof causing cool air supplied into an upper space inside a refrigeratingcompartment to flow sufficiently through the inside of the refrigeratingcompartment and then discharging the cool air, thereby increasing theefficiency of refrigerating.

Still another objective of the present disclosure is to provide arefrigerator including a new type of refrigerating-compartment grillassembly in which a refrigerating-compartment retrieval flow path isformed in a partition wall by which division into a refrigeratingcompartment and a freezing compartment is realized, thereby preventingthe occurrence of insulation loss caused in the related art.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is arefrigerator in which a flow path for discharging cool air to arefrigerating compartment and a flow path for discharging the cool airto a freezing compartment are formed together in arefrigerating-compartment grill assembly.

In the refrigerator, a flow path guiding discharging of the cool airsupplied from a freezing-compartment grill assembly into therefrigerating compartment may be formed in a refrigerating-compartmentgrill assembly.

In the refrigerator, a refrigerating-compartment retrieval flow pathguiding flowing of the cool air retrieved from the refrigeratingcompartment into the freezing compartment may be formed in thefreezing-compartment grill assembly.

In the refrigerator, a flow path may be formed in a partition wall.

In the refrigerator, the flow path formed in the partition wall mayinclude a flow path that is provided with the cool air from thefreezing-compartment grill assembly and supplies the provided cool airto a refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path in therefrigerating-compartment grill assembly.

In the refrigerator, the flow path formed in the partition wall mayinclude a first transfer flow path that passes through a rear sidecenter portion of the partition wall from top to bottom.

In the refrigerator, a cool-air inlet of the refrigerating-compartmentdischarge flow path may be positioned more downward in a backwarddirection than a bottom end of the first transfer flow path.

In the refrigerator, a rear side branch flow path connected to therefrigerating-compartment discharge flow path and a front side branchflow path extending up to a front side bottom surface of the partitionwall may be both formed on the bottom end of the first transfer flowpath.

In the refrigerator, the rear side branch flow path may be famed in amanner that is gradually inclined downward from the first transfer flowpath toward the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path.

In the refrigerator, a second transfer flow path that is provided withthe cool air from the refrigerating-compartment retrieval flow path inthe refrigerating-compartment grill assembly and guides flowing of theprovided cool air to a position where an evaporator is positioned may beformed in the partition wall.

In the refrigerator, the second transfer flow path may be formed in arear surface of the partition wall in a recessed manner.

In the refrigerator, a blocking covering the second transfer flow pathin such a manner as to be blocked from an external environment may beprovided on the rear surface of the partition wall.

In the refrigerator, the blocking cover may be detachably mounted on therear surface of the partition wall.

In the refrigerator, a cool-air outlet of the refrigerating-compartmentretrieval flow path may be formed in each of the opposite sides of anupper surface of the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly.

In the refrigerator, a communication groove may be formed in each of theopposite sides of the second transfer flow path in a manner that passesthrough each of the opposite sides thereof and reaches a position wherethe cool-air outlet is positioned.

In the refrigerator, a guidance flow path guiding flowing of the coolair in the refrigerating-compartment retrieval flow path transferredthrough the two communication grooves in the second transfer flow pathto above an upper center portion of the blocking cover may be formed inthe blocking cover.

In the refrigerator, the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly mayinclude a first duct unit and a second duct unit.

In the refrigerator, the first duct unit may be formed to be positionedin a manner that is exposed to the inside of the refrigeratingcompartment and to have a plurality of refrigerating-compartmentdischarge openings.

In the refrigerator, the refrigerating-chamber discharge flow path maybe formed in the second duct unit.

In the refrigerator, the first duct unit may be formed in such a manneras to have a greater width in a leftward-rightward direction than thesecond duct unit and to have lateral walls on opposite sides thereof.

In the refrigerator, a front surface of the second duct unit may bebrought into close contact with one portion of the rear surface of thefirst duct unit.

In the refrigerator, rear surfaces of the first duct unit and the secondduct unit may be covered by a blocking plate.

In the refrigerator, the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow pathmay be formed in the rear surface of the second duct unit in a recessedmanner.

In the refrigerator, the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow pathmay be formed as a path that is blocked by the blocking plate from anoutside environment.

In the refrigerator, the blocking plate may be formed of an insulatingmaterial.

In the refrigerator, the second duct unit may be positioned in a centerportion of the rear surface of the first duct unit.

In the refrigerator, the refrigerating-compartment retrieval flow pathmay be formed between one lateral wall of the first duct unit and onelateral wall of the second duct unit and between the other lateral wallof the first duct unit and the other lateral wall of the second ductunit.

In the refrigerator, a communication discharge opening may be formed inthe second duct unit in a manner that communicates with each of therefrigerating-compartment discharge openings in the first duct unit andthus discharges the cool air.

In the refrigerator, the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow pathmay be formed in such a manner as to pass through each of thecommunication discharge openings.

In the refrigerator, the refrigerating-compartment discharge openingsmay be famed in opposite sides, respectively, of the first duct unit.

In the refrigerator, the communication discharge openings may be formedin portions, respectively, of the first duct unit that correspond to therefrigerating-compartment discharge openings when the second duct unitis combined with the rear surface of the first duct unit.

In the refrigerator, the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow pathsmay be formed in such a manner as to branch off from a cool-air inletinto opposite sides, respectively, of the second duct unit, to passthrough the communication discharge openings, respectively, and to reachbottoms, respectively, of the opposite sides of the second duct unit.

In the refrigerator, the cool-air inlet of the refrigerating-componentdischarge flow path may be formed in a center portion of an uppersurface of the second duct unit in a manner that passes therethrough.

In the refrigerator, the first duct unit may be formed in such a manneras to be open at opposite sides bottom surfaces and opposite sides uppersurfaces, and the cool air inside the refrigerating compartment may flowinto each of the refrigerating-compartment retrieval flow paths throughopenings in the opposite sides bottom surfaces and then may bedischarged through openings in the opposite side upper surfaces.

As described above, in the refrigerator according to the presentdisclosure, the discharge flow path for supplying the cool air to therefrigerating compartment and the refrigerating-compartment retrievalflow path for retrieving the cool air circulating through therefrigerating compartment are formed together in therefrigerating-compartment grill assembly. Thus, the effect ofsimplifying an overall structure of the refrigerator without the need toprovide a separate duct for retrieving the cool air can be achieved.

In the refrigerator according to the present disclosure, the cool-airinlet of the refrigerating-compartment retrieval flow path forretrieving the cool air inside the refrigerating compartment is formedin a bottom surface of the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly.Thus, the cool air supplied into an upper space inside the refrigeratingcompartment can flow sufficiently through the inside of therefrigerating compartment and then can be discharged. Thus, the effectof improving the efficiency of refrigerating can be achieved.

The refrigerator according to the present disclosure is configured insuch a manner that the cool air retrieved through therefrigerating-compartment retrieval flow path in therefrigerating-compartment grill assembly is transferred to theevaporator through the second transfer flow path formed in the rearsurface of the partition wall without passing through the inside of thepartition wall. Thus, the effect of reducing insulation loss can beachieved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objectives, features, and other advantages of thepresent disclosure will be more clearly understood from the followingdetailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating a refrigerator according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a mounted state ofeach grill assembly of the refrigerator according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a front view illustrating an internal state of therefrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I on FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view illustrating a portion indicated by a circle“A” on FIG. 4;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views each illustrating essentialcomponents, respectively, that are differently cross-sectioned todescribe an internal structure of a partition wall of the refrigeratoraccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a rear view illustrating the refrigerator according to theembodiment of the present disclosure from which an outer casing isremoved to describe a rear side structure of the inside of therefrigerator;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating essential components of therefrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure fromwhich the outer casing is removed to describe the rear side structure ofthe inside of the refrigerator;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating essential components of therefrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure fromwhich a block cover is removed to describe a second transfer flow pathin a rear surface of the partition wall in the rear side structure ofthe inside of the refrigerator;

FIG. 11 is a rear view illustrating the essential components in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view illustrating arefrigerating-compartment grill assembly of the refrigerator accordingto the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating an assembled state of therefrigerating-compartment grill assembly of the refrigerator accordingto the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating a state where a first ductunit and a second duct unit of the refrigerating-compartment grillassembly are combined with each other in the rear of the refrigeratoraccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view illustrating a state where a blockingplate is mounted on the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly of therefrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where cool aircirculates through a freezing compartment of the refrigerator accordingto the present disclosure;

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the coolair circulates through a refrigerating compartment of the refrigeratoraccording to the present disclosure;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view illustrating a state where the cool aircirculates through the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly of therefrigerator according to the present disclosure; and

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view illustrating essential components thatare cross-sectioned to describe a state where the cool air circulatesthrough the inside of the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly ofthe refrigerator according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A preferred embodiment of the present disclosure will be described belowwith reference to FIGS. 1 to 19.

FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating a refrigerator according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspectiveview illustrating a mounted state of each grill assembly of therefrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG.3 is a front view illustrating an internal state of the refrigeratoraccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is across-sectional view taken along line I-I on FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is anenlarged view illustrating a portion indicated by a circle “A” on FIG.4.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, the refrigerator according to theembodiment of the present disclosure may be configured to include acabinet 100, an evaporator 30, a freezing-compartment grill assembly200, and a refrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300. Particularly, arefrigerating-compartment discharge flow path 301 and arefrigerating-compartment retrieval path 302 are formed together in therefrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300.

Components of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure will be described below.

First, the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure is configured to include the cabinet 100.

The cabinet 100 may be configured to include an outer casing 110 andinner casings 121 and 122. The outer casing 110 provides an exteriorappearance of the cabinet 100. The inner casings 121 and 122 arepositioned inside the outer casing 110 and form a storage space.

In this case, the inner casings 121 and 122 may be afreezing-compartment inner casing 121 and a refrigerating-compartmentinner casing 122, respectively. The freezing-compartment inner casing121 provides a freezing compartment 10. The refrigerating-compartmentinner casing 122 provides a refrigerating compartment 20.

The inner casings 121 and 122 are positioned in an upper space and alower space, respectively, inside the outer casing 110 with a partitionwall 130 in between.

That is, the freezing-compartment inner casing 121 is positioned overthe partition wall 130 and provides the freezing compartment 10. Therefrigerating-compartment inner casing 122 is positioned under thepartition wall 130 and provides the refrigerating compartment 20. Therespective positions of the freezing-compartment inner casing 121 andthe refrigerating-compartment inner casing 122 are illustrated in FIGS.3 to 5.

More specifically, the partition wall 130 is formed in such a mannerthat an upper end portion thereof surrounds a lower end portion of thefreezing-compartment inner casing 121. The partition wall 130 is formedin such a manner that a lower end portion thereof surrounds an upper endportion of the refrigerating-compartment inner casing 122. The partitionwall 130 is formed as illustrated in FIG. 9.

The first transfer flow path 131 may be famed in the partition wall 130.The first transfer flow path 131 serves to be provided with cool airfrom the freezing-compartment grill assembly 200 and to supply theprovided cool air to the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path301 in the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300.

The first transfer flow path 131 may be formed in a rear side centerportion of the partition wall 130 in a manner that passes through a rearside center portion from top to bottom. In this case, a front sidebranch flow path 132 is formed on a bottom end of the first transferflow path 131. The front side branch flow path 132 extends from thebottom end thereof up to a front side bottom surface of the partitionwall 130. The front side branch flow path 132 supplies the cool air to afront side space inside the refrigerating compartment 20.

A rear side branch flow path 133 may further be formed on the bottom endof the first transfer flow path 131. The rear side branch flow path 133supplies the cool air to the refrigerating-compartment discharge flowpath 301 in the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300. The rearside branch flow path 133 may be formed in a manner that is graduallyinclined downward from the first transfer flow path 131 toward therefrigerating-compartment discharge flow path 301.

The first transfer flow path 131 and each of the branch flow paths 132and 133 are formed as illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 7.

FIG. 8 is a rear view illustrating the refrigerator according to theembodiment of the present disclosure from which the outer casing 110 isremoved to describe a rear side structure of the inside of therefrigerator. FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating essentialcomponents of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure from which the outer casing 110 is removed todescribe the rear side structure of the inside of the refrigerator. FIG.10 is a perspective view illustrating essential components of therefrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure fromwhich a blocking cover is removed to describe a second transfer flowpath 134 in a rear surface of the partition wall 130 in the rear sidestructure of the inside of the refrigerator. FIG. 11 is a rear viewillustrating the essential components in FIG. 10.

As illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 11, the second transfer flow path 134 maybe formed in the partition wall 130. The second transfer flow path 134serves to be supplied with the cool air retrieved from therefrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300 and to guide flowing of thesupplied cool air to a position where the evaporator 30 is positioned.

Particularly, the second transfer flow path 134 is formed in a rearsurface of the partition wall 130 in a recessed manner, and a blockingcover 140 is provided on the rear surface of the partition wall 130. Theblocking cover 140 covers the second transfer flow path 134 in such amanner as to be blocked from an outside environment. In this case, theblocking cover 140 may be detachably mounted on the rear surface of thepartition wall 130.

That is, instead of providing a separate duct for transferring the coolair retrieved from the refrigerating compartment 22 to the evaporator30, the second transfer flow path 134 is formed by the structure of thesecond transfer flow path recessed into the rear surface of thepartition wall 130 and by the blocking cover 140. Thus, a structure forretrieving the cool air can be simplified.

In this case, the second transfer flow path 134 is formed in such amanner that a cooling-air discharge side portion thereof is positionedon a rear side bottom of the evaporator 30.

Communication groove 135 may be formed in opposite sides, respectively,of the second transfer flow path 134. The communication groove 135communicates with a cool-air outlet of the refrigerating-compartmentretrieval path 302.

Moreover, a guidance flow path 141 may be formed in the blocking cover140. The cool air in the refrigerating-compartment retrieval path 302 istransferred to the guidance flow path 141 through the two communicationgrooves 135 in the second transfer flow path 134. The guidance flow path141 guides flowing of the transferred cool air to above an upper centerportion of the blocking cover 140.

In addition, the freezing compartment 10 and the refrigeratingcompartment 20 are configured in such manner as to be opened and closedby doors 11 and 21, respectively. In this case, the doors 11 and 21 maybe configured in such a manner as to employ a hinge mechanism.

Of course, although not illustrated, the doors 11 and 21 may beconfigured as a drawer-type door.

Next, the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure may be configured to include the evaporator 30.

The evaporator 30 is configured in such a manner as to generate the coolair that is supplied to the freezing compartment 10 or the refrigeratingcompartment 20.

Particularly, along with a compressor 60 (refer to FIG. 4), a condenser(not illustrated), and an expander (not illustrated), the evaporator 30constitutes a freezing system. The evaporator 30 exchanges heat with airflowing therethrough and thus performs a function of decreasingtemperature of the air.

The evaporator 30 may be positioned in a rear portion of the inside ofthe freezing compartment 10. Specifically, the evaporator 30 may bepositioned adjacent to a front surface of a rear wall of the freezingcompartment 10.

Next, the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure may be configured to include the freezing-compartment grillassembly 200.

The freezing-compartment grill assembly 200 serves to provide to thefreezing compartment 10 and the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly300 the cool air that exchanges heat with the evaporator 30 whilepassing therethrough.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the freezing-compartment grill assembly 200 ispositioned in front of the evaporator 30 inside the freezing compartment10. That is, the freezing compartment 10 has a front side storage spaceand a rear side heat exchange space inside with the freezing-compartmentgrill assembly 200 in between.

Moreover, a blowing fan 201 that blows the cool air may be mounted inthe freezing-compartment grill assembly 200. In this case, the blowingfan 201 may be configured as a module including both a fan and a motor.The blowing fan 201 supplies the cool air passing through the evaporator30 to the freezing compartment 10 or the refrigerating compartment 20.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, a plurality of freezing-compartment dischargeopenings 202 (refer to FIG. 3) is formed in the freezing-compartmentgrill assembly 200.

Moreover, as illustrated in FIG. 3, a refrigerating-compartmentdischarge flow path 203 is formed in the freezing-compartment grillassembly 200. The refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path 203guides discharging of the cool air blown by the blowing fan 201 to eachof the freezing-compartment discharge openings 202. In this case, therefrigerating-compartment discharge flow path 203 may be formed in sucha manner as to guide flowing of the cool air to above and below theopposite sides of a center portion of the freezing-compartment grillassembly 200 in which the blowing fan 201 is mounted. In this case, eachof the freezing-compartment discharge openings 202 may be formed in therefrigerating-compartment discharge flow paths 203.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 3, a refrigerating-compartmentsupply flow path 204 is formed in the freezing-compartment grillassembly 200.

The refrigerating-compartment supply flow path 204 is a flow path thatis formed to supply one portion of the cool air blown by the blowing fan201 to the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300. Therefrigerating-compartment supply flow path 204 is formed in such amanner as to extend from the center portion of the freezing-compartmentgrill assembly 200, in which the blowing fan 201 is positioned, up to abottom surface of the freezing-compartment grill assembly 200.

Although not specifically illustrated, a temperature adjustment device206 (refer to FIGS. 3 and 4) may be provided in therefrigerating-compartment supply flow path 204. The temperatureadjustment device 206 adjusts an amount of cool air passing therethroughand thus adjusts temperature inside the freezing compartment 10 orinside the refrigerating compartment 20.

In addition, a freezing-compartment retrieval flow path 205 is formed inthe freezing-compartment grill assembly 200. The freezing-compartmentretrieval flow path 205 is formed in the bottom surface of thefreezing-compartment grill assembly 200 in a recessed manner. In thiscase, the freezing-compartment retrieval flow path 205 is formed in sucha manner that a front side end portion thereof is exposed to the insideof the freezing compartment 10 and that a rear side end portion thereofis exposed to a bottom of the evaporator 30.

That is, the cool water flowing through the inside of the freezingcompartment 10 is retrieved toward the cool-air inflow side of theevaporator 30 through the freezing-compartment retrieval flow path 205.

Next, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, therefrigerator may be configured to include the refrigerating-compartmentgrill assembly 300.

The refrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300 is configured in such amanner to guide discharging of the cool air transferred from thefreezing-compartment grill assembly 200 into the refrigeratingcompartment 20. The refrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300 ispositioned in a rear portion of the inside of the refrigeratingcompartment 20. Specifically, the refrigerating-compartment grillassembly 300 is positioned in front of a front surface of a rear wall ofthe refrigerating-compartment inner casing 122.

The refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path 301 and therefrigerating-compartment retrieval path 302 are formed together in therefrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300. In this case, the cool airflows to the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path 301 from thefreezing-compartment grill assembly 200. The refrigerating-compartmentdischarge flow path 301 serves to guide discharging of the cool air intothe refrigerating compartment 20. The refrigerating-compartmentretrieval path 302 serves to guide flowing of the cool retrieved fromthe refrigerating compartment 20 into the freezing compartment 10.

Each component of the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300 isdescribed in more detail as follows with reference to FIGS. 12 to 15.FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view illustrating therefrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300 of the refrigeratoraccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is aperspective view illustrating an assembled state of therefrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300 of the refrigeratoraccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 14 is aperspective view illustrating a state where a first duct unit and asecond duct unit of the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300 arecombined with each other in the rear of the refrigerator according tothe embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 15 is a perspective viewillustrating a state where a blocking plate is mounted on therefrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300 of the refrigeratoraccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

First, the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300 is configured toinclude a first duct unit 310.

The first duct unit 310 provides a front surface of therefrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300 and is positioned in amanner that is exposed to the inside of the refrigerating compartment20.

The first duct unit 310 is formed in a manner that has a greater widthin the leftward-rightward direction than the second duct unit 320described below.

Moreover, surrounding walls are formed on an edge of the first duct unit310. That is, the first duct unit 310 is formed in such a manner as tohave an upper wall 311 and lateral walls 312 on opposite sides thereof.The upper wall 311 provides an upper surface of the first duct unit 310,and the lateral walls 312 provide opposite lateral surfaces thereof,respectively. The surrounding walls (the upper wall 311 and the lateralwalls 312) of the first duct unit 310 may be formed in such a mannerthat respective heights in the forward-backward direction thereof aresuch that the cool air can flow. That is, thicknesses (heights) in theforward-backward direction of the first duct unit 310 are minimized sothat a space inside the refrigerating compartment 20 can be maximallysecured.

In addition, a plurality of refrigerating-compartment discharge openings310 a may be formed in the first duct unit 310. Therefrigerating-compartment discharge openings 310 a are formed accordingto the height direction of the first duct unit 310. Through therefrigerating-compartment discharge openings 310 a, the cool air isdischarged into spaces of different heights inside the refrigeratingcompartment 20. In this case, each of the spaces of different heightsmay be a space between shelves provided inside the refrigeratingcompartment 20.

Moreover, the refrigerating-compartment discharge openings 310 a areformed in opposite sides, respectively, of the first duct unit 310.Therefore, the cool air may be uniformly supplied into opposite sidespaces inside the refrigerating compartment 20

The refrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300 is configured toinclude the second duct unit 320.

The second duct unit 320 is provided to a portion of therefrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300 in which therefrigerating-compartment discharge flow path 301 is formed. A frontsurface of the second duct unit 320 is brought into close contact withone portion of a rear surface of the first duct unit 310 for beingcombined therewith. Specifically, the front surface of the second ductunit 320 may be brought into close contact with a center portion of therear surface of the first duct unit 310.

The second duct unit 320 is formed in a manner that has a smaller widthin the leftward-rightward direction than the first duct unit 310. Therefrigerating-compartment retrieval path 302 is famed between onelateral wall of the first duct unit 310 and one lateral wall of thesecond duct unit 320 and between the other lateral wall of the firstduct unit 310 and the other lateral wall of the second duct unit 320. Aspace between one lateral wall of the first duct unit 310 and onelateral wall of the second duct unit 320 and a space between the otherlateral wall of the first duct unit 310 and the other lateral wall ofthe second duct unit 320 are used as the refrigerating-compartmentretrieval paths 302, respectively.

The first duct unit 310 is formed in a manner that is open at thebottom. Retrieval cool-air inlets 313 a are formed opposite sides,respectively, of a bottom surface between the first duct unit 310 andthe second duct unit 320. The retrieval cool-air inlets 313 acommunicate with the refrigerating-compartment retrieval paths 302,respectively. Retrieval cool-air outlets 311 b are formed in oppositesides, respectively, of the upper wall 311 of the first duct unit 310.The retrieval cool-air outlets 311 b communicate with therefrigerating-compartment retrieval paths 302, respectively. That is,the cool air that flows through the refrigerating compartment 20 flowsinto the refrigerating-compartment retrieval path 302 through theretrieval cool-air inlet 313 a and then is discharged through theretrieval cool-air outlet 311 b.

Particularly, the retrieval cool-air outlets 311 b communicate with thecommunication grooves 135, respectively, that are formed in the oppositesides of the second transfer flow path 134. Accordingly, the cool airthat flows along the refrigerating-compartment retrieval path 302 passessequentially through the retrieval cool-air outlet 311 b and thecommunication groove 135 and then is retrieved toward the cool-airinflow side of the evaporator 30 along the guidance flow path 141 formedin the blocking cover 140.

A supply cool-air inlet 311 a is formed in the upper wall 311 of thefirst duct unit 310. The supply cool-air inlet 311 a serves to supplythe cool air to the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path 301.

Specifically, the supply cool-air inlet 311 a is formed in a centerportion of the upper wall 311 of the first duct unit 310. In this case,the retrieval cool-air outlets 311 b may be formed to opposite sides,respectively, of the supply cool-air inlet 311 a, and are positioned insuch a manner as to correspond to the communication grooves 135,respectively, formed in the above-described partition wall 130.

In addition, a communication discharge opening 320 a is formed in thesecond duct unit 320 in a manner that communicates with each of therefrigerating-compartment discharge openings 310 a in the first ductunit 310 and thus discharges the cool air. In this case, thecommunication discharge openings 320 a may be formed at positions,respectively, that correspond to positions of therefrigerating-compartment discharge openings 310 a. That is, since therefrigerating-compartment discharge openings 310 a are formed inopposite sides, respectively, of the first duct unit 310, thecommunication discharge openings 320 a may be formed in opposite sides,respectively, of the second duct unit 320.

The refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path 301 is formed in arear surface of the second duct unit 320 in a recessed manner.Specifically, a cool-air inlet of the refrigerating-compartmentdischarge flow path 301 may be formed at a position that corresponds toa position of the supply cool-air inlet 311 a in the first duct unit310. In this case, the supply cool-air inlet 311 a is positioned in sucha manner as to correspond to a lower end of the rear side branch flowpath 133 branching off from the first transfer flow path 131 in thepartition wall 130.

The refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path 301 may be formed insuch a manner to pass through each of the communication dischargeopenings 320 a. In this case, in order to guide flowing of the cool air,the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow paths 301 are formed insuch a manner as to branch off from the cool-air inlet into oppositesides, respectively, of the second duct unit 320, to pass through thecommunication discharge openings 320 a, respectively, and to reachbottoms, respectively, of the opposite sides of the second duct unit320.

An upper surface of the second duct unit 320 is brought into closecontact with a bottom surface of the upper wall 311 of the first ductunit 310. A bottom surface of the second duct unit 320 is brought intoclose contact with an upper surface of a lower wall 313 of the firstduct unit 310.

The refrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300 may be configured toinclude a blocking plate 330.

The blocking plate 330 is foiled in such a manner as to cover both rearsurfaces of the first duct unit 310 and the second duct unit 320. Thatis, with the blocking plate 330, the refrigerating-compartment dischargeflow path 301 and the two refrigerating-compartment retrieval paths 302may be formed as paths blocked from the external environment.

It is desirable that the blocking plate 330 is formed of an insulatingmaterial. Accordingly, the cool air that flows along therefrigerating-compartment discharge flow path 301 or therefrigerating-compartment retrieval path 302 can be prevented from beingaffected by outside air.

A process of supplying and retrieving the cool air in the refrigeratoraccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be describedin more detail below with reference to FIGS. 16 to 19.

First, in the refrigerator, the compressor (not illustrated) and theblowing fan 201 operate. The compressor operates with a cooling cycleaccording to a condition of temperature inside the freezing compartment10 or the refrigerating compartment 20.

That is, when the temperature inside the freezing compartment 10 or therefrigerating compartment 20 reaches a range of improper temperatures (arange of temperatures higher than a setting temperature), the compressoroperates, and thus refrigerant flows sequentially through the condenser,the expander, and the evaporator 30. At the same time, the blowing fan201 operates, and thus the cool air that exchanges heat with theevaporator 30 while passing therethrough is supplied to the freezingcompartment 10 and the refrigerating compartment 20 through the grillassembly 200.

At this point, the cool air that is retrieved from the freezingcompartment 10 or the refrigerating compartment 20 by the operation ofthe blowing fan 201 passes through the evaporator 30. Moisture isremoved from the cool air passing through the evaporator 30. As a resultof the heat exchange, temperature of the cool air is decreased to alower temperature.

Furthermore, the cool air passing through the evaporator 30 passesthrough the blowing fan 201 and then flows into the freezing-compartmentgrill assembly 200. Subsequently, while flowing along therefrigerating-compartment discharge flow path 203 formed in thefreezing-compartment grill assembly 200, the cool air is supplied intothe freezing compartment 10 through each of the freezing-compartmentdischarge openings 202 formed in the freezing-compartment grill assembly200.

Therefore, an object subject to being stored in a frozen state is frozenby the cool air in the freezing compartment 10 for being stored.

Then, the cool air supplied into the freezing compartment 10 circulatesthrough the inside of the freezing compartment 10. Subsequently, thecool air passes through the freezing-compartment retrieval flow path 205famed in the bottom surface of the freezing-compartment grill assembly200, is retrieved toward the cool-air inflow side of the evaporator 30,and passes back through the evaporator 30. This cool air circulation forheat exchange is repeated. Cool air circulation for freezing is asillustrated in FIG. 16.

One portion of the cool air flowing into the freezing-compartment grillassembly 200 flows along the refrigerating-compartment supply flow path204 formed in the freezing-compartment grill assembly 200 and then isprovided to the first transfer flow path 131 formed in the partitionwall 130.

Subsequently, the cool air provided to the first transfer flow path 131flows along the first transfer flow path 131, and then the cool airbranches off into two streams. The two streams of the cool air flowalong the front side branch flow path 132 and the rear side branch flowpath 133, respectively, that extend from the bottom end of the firsttransfer flow path 131.

At this point, the cool air that flows along the front side branch flowpath 132 passes through the front side bottom surface of the partitionwall 130 and is supplied into the front side space inside therefrigerating compartment 20.

Moreover, the cool air flowing along the rear side branch flow path 133passes through the supply cool-air inlet 311 a famed in the first ductunit 310 of the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300 and issupplied to the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path 301 formedin the second duct unit 320.

While flowing along the first duct unit 310, the cool air is dischargedsequentially through each of the communication discharge openings 320 aformed in the second duct unit 320 and each of therefrigerating-compartment discharge openings 310 a formed in therefrigerating-compartment discharge flow path 301 and is supplied intoeach of the spaces of different heights inside the refrigeratingcompartment 20.

Therefore, an object subject to being stored in a refrigerated state iscooled by the cool air in the refrigerating compartment 20 for beingstored. Cool air circulation for refrigerating is as illustrated in FIG.17.

The cool air supplied into the refrigerating compartment 20 circulatesthrough the inside of the refrigerating compartment 20 and then flowsinto the retrieval cool-air inlets 313 a famed in opposite sides of thelower wall 313 of the first duct unit 310 constituting therefrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300.

Subsequently, the cool air flows along the refrigerating-compartmentretrieval path 302 communicating with the retrieval cool-air inlet 313a. Then, the cool air passes sequentially through the retrieval cool-airoutlets 311 b formed in opposite sides respectively, of the upper wall311 of the first duct unit 310 and through the communication grooves 135positioned in such a manner as to correspond to the retrieval cool-airoutlets 311 b, respectively. Then, the cool air is provided to thesecond transfer flow path 134. Cool air circulation is as illustrated inFIGS. 18 and 19.

Subsequently, the cool air is retrieved toward the cool-air inflow sideof the evaporator 30 along the guidance flow path 141 in the blockingcover 140 formed in such a manner as to cover the second transfer flowpath 134. Then, the cool air passes back through the evaporator 30. Thiscool air circulation for heat exchange is repeated.

While the cool air is supplied by each of the above-described processesto the refrigerating compartment 20, when the temperature inside therefrigerating compartment 20 reaches a range of proper temperatures(when a setting temperature is reached), the blowing fan 201 and thecompressor stops operating. Of course, in a case where the temperaturesinside the refrigerating compartment 20 and the freezing compartment 10are both proper, the blowing fan 201 and the compressor may becontrolled in such a manner as to stop operating.

In summary, in the refrigerator according to the present disclosure, therefrigerating-compartment discharge flow path 301 for supplying the coolair to the refrigerating compartment 20 and therefrigerating-compartment retrieval path 302 for retrieving the cool aircirculating through the refrigerating compartment 20 are formed togetherin the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300. Accordingly, anoverall structure of the refrigerator according to the presentdisclosure may be simplified because there is no need to provide aseparate duct for retrieving the cool air.

In addition, in the refrigerator according to the present disclosure, acool-air inlet of the refrigerating-compartment retrieval path 302 forretrieving the cool air inside the refrigerating compartment 20 isformed in a bottom surface of the refrigerating-compartment grillassembly 300. Accordingly, the cool air supplied into an upper spaceinside the refrigerating compartment 20 sufficiently flows through theinside of the refrigerating compartment 20 and then is discharged. Thus,the efficiency of refrigerating can be improved.

In addition, the refrigerator according to the present disclosure isconfigured in such a manner that the cool air retrieved through therefrigerating-compartment retrieval path 302 in therefrigerating-compartment grill assembly 300 is transferred to theevaporator 30 through the second transfer flow path 134 formed in a rearsurface of the partition wall 130. With this configuration, insulationloss can be reduced.

Although the specific embodiment of the present disclosure has beendescribed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art willappreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions arepossible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosureas disclosed in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A refrigerator comprising: a cabinet defining astorage space including (i) a freezing compartment above a partitionwall and (ii) a refrigerating compartment below the partition wall; anevaporator provided behind the freezing compartment and configured togenerate cool air; a freezing-compartment grill assembly provided infront of the evaporator inside the freezing compartment; a blowing fanprovided at the freezing-compartment grill assembly and configured toblow the cool air generated by the evaporator into the freezingcompartment; and a refrigerating-compartment grill assembly providedinside the refrigerating compartment at a rear side portion thereof,wherein the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly provides (i) arefrigerating-compartment discharge flow path configured to guide thecool air from the freezing-compartment grill assembly into therefrigerating compartment and (ii) a refrigerating-compartment retrievalflow path configured to guide the cool air from the refrigeratingcompartment into the freezing compartment.
 2. The refrigerator of claim1, wherein a first transfer flow path is defined at the partition walland configured to guide the cool air to the refrigerating-compartmentdischarge flow path.
 3. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the firsttransfer flow path is provided at a rear side center portion of thepartition wall such that the first transfer flow path passes through therear side center portion from a top towards a bottom thereof.
 4. Therefrigerator of claim 2, wherein a cool-air inlet of therefrigerating-compartment discharge flow path is provided downward in abackward direction relative to a bottom end of the first transfer flowpath, and (i) a front side branch flow path extending up towards a frontside bottom surface of the partition wall and (ii) a rear side branchflow path connected to the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow pathare both defined at the bottom end of the first transfer flow path. 5.The refrigerator of claim 4, wherein the rear side branch flow pathgradually inclines downward from the first transfer flow path toward therefrigerating-compartment discharge flow path.
 6. The refrigerator ofclaim 1, wherein a second transfer flow path is defined at the partitionwall and configured to guide the cool air towards the evaporator.
 7. Therefrigerator of claim 6, wherein the second transfer flow path isrecessed in a rear surface of the partition wall, and a blocking coveris provided at the rear surface of the partition wall and configured tocover the second transfer flow path from an external environment.
 8. Therefrigerator of claim 7, wherein the blocking cover is detachablyprovided at the rear surface of the partition wall.
 9. The refrigeratorof claim 7, wherein a cool-air outlet of the refrigerating-compartmentretrieval flow path is provided at an upper surface of therefrigerating-compartment grill assembly, and a communication groove isdefined in the second transfer flow path such that the communicationgroove passes through the second transfer flow path towards the cool-airoutlet.
 10. The refrigerator of claim 9, wherein a guidance flow path isdefined in the blocking cover and configured to guide the cool air fromthe refrigerating-compartment retrieval flow path to an upper centerportion of the blocking cover.
 11. The refrigerator of claim 1, whereinthe refrigerating-compartment grill assembly comprises: a first ductunit provided at an inside of the refrigerating compartment and having aplurality of refrigerating-compartment discharge openings; and a secondduct unit coupled to a rear surface of the first duct unit, wherein therefrigerating-compartment discharge flow path is defined in the secondduct unit.
 12. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the first duct unithas (i) a width that is greater in a leftward-rightward direction than awidth of the second duct unit and (ii) lateral walls on opposite sidesthereof, wherein a front surface of the second duct unit is in contactwith one portion of the rear surface of the first duct unit, and therear surface of the first duct unit and the second duct unit are coveredby a blocking plate.
 13. The refrigerator of claim 12, wherein therefrigerating-compartment discharge flow path is recessed in a rearsurface of the second duct unit and thus is blocked by the blockingplate from an outside environment.
 14. The refrigerator of claim 12,wherein the blocking plate is made of an insulating material.
 15. Therefrigerator of claim 12, wherein the second duct unit is provided at acenter portion of the rear surface of the first duct unit, and therefrigerating-compartment retrieval flow path is defined between onelateral wall of the first duct unit and one lateral wall of the secondduct unit and between the other lateral wall of the first duct unit andthe other lateral wall of the second duct unit.
 16. The refrigerator ofclaim 11, wherein a plurality of communication discharge openings aredefined in the second duct unit and configured to be in fluidcommunication with each of the plurality of refrigerating-compartmentdischarge openings in the first duct unit and thus discharge the coolair, and a plurality of the refrigerating-compartment discharge flowpaths pass through each of the plurality of communication dischargeopenings.
 17. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the plurality ofrefrigerating-compartment discharge openings are provided at oppositesides, respectively, of the first duct unit, and the plurality ofcommunication discharge openings are provided at portions, respectively,of the second duct unit that correspond to the refrigerating-compartmentdischarge openings when the second duct unit is combined with the rearsurface of the first duct unit.
 18. The refrigerator of claim 16,wherein the plurality of refrigerating-compartment discharge flow pathsare defined to (i) branch off from a cool-air inlet towards oppositesides, respectively, of the second duct unit, (ii) pass through theplurality of the communication discharge openings, respectively, and(iii) reach bottoms, respectively, of the opposite sides of the secondduct unit, and wherein the cool-air inlet is provided at a centerportion of an upper surface of the second duct unit and passestherethrough.
 19. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the first ductunit has openings at a bottom surface and an upper surface of therefrigerating compartment, and wherein the refrigerating-compartmentretrieval flow path is configured to guide the cool air from therefrigerating compartment into the refrigerating-compartment retrievalflow path through the openings at the bottom surface and then dischargethrough the openings at the upper surface.
 20. The refrigerator of claim11, wherein the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path in thesecond duct unit is configured to receive the cool air from a centerportion of an upper surface of the second duct unit.